Houston kids to frolic at world's largest mall playground

1of 27Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

2of 27Climbable play characters at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

3of 27Ashley Wehrly-Kearney, with Metro National shows off Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

4of 27Brian Griffitts, with Playtime Creations assess the climbable play structures where hi is assembling Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

5of 27The entrance to Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

6of 27Ashley Wehrly-Kearney, with Metro National walks through Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

7of 27A worker tiles a post in Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

8of 27Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

9of 27Climbable play characters at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

10of 27A view from Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

11of 27Climbable play characters at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

12of 27Climbable play structures at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

13of 27Climbable play characters at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

14of 27Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

15of 27A rendering of the new Frolic's Castle play area at Memorial City Mall. It's considered to be the largest soft play area at a mall in the country.Photo: MetroNational

16of 27Ashley Wehrly-Kearney, with Metro National walks through Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

17of 27Brian Griffitts with Playtime Creations walks past the entrance of Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

18of 27Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

19of 27Ashley Wehrly-Kearney, with Metro National walks through Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

20of 27Climbable play characters at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

21of 27Climbable play characters at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

22of 27Climbable play characters at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

23of 27Ashley Wehrly-Kearney, with Metro National shows the entrance to Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

24of 27Kyle Holstaud, left, and Brian Griffitts with Playtime Creations prepare to set up the play structures at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

25of 27Kyle Holstaud, left, and Brian Griffitts with Playtime Creations prepare to set up the play structures at Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

27of 27Brian Griffitts, left, and Kyle Holstaud with Playtime Creations assess the climbable play structures where they are assembling Frolic's Castle, the new 3,010 square-foot play area at Memorial City Mall Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Houston. The new play area will open Saturday, Oct. 18. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

Oh, to be a kid again.

Memorial City Mall in west Houston will open what's being billed as the world's largest shopping-mall play area for young children on Oct. 18.

Frolic's Castle will be the home of a friendly green dragon named Frolic; his purple wife, Felicity; and their son, Puffy. And though it's not the home of Shrek or a Disney character, this three-level, medieval-looking castle set in a 3,010-square-foot enchanted forest will be filled with wizards and knights in addition to the family-friendly, fire-breathing dragons.

Admission to Frolic's Castle, in the mall's Sears wing near the movie theater, will be free.

"Our intent was to create something special and over-the-top," said Harry Hadland, vice president of retail and hospitality for MetroNational, which owns Memorial City Mall. "We wanted to make sure it had a great theme for kids and it was really a magical place."

Memorial City Mall, which attracts about 20 million visitors each year, also is home to Houston's only American Girl store and bistro, another big draw with families.

While an existing play castle has been popular, Hadland said, the mall owners wanted to "create an unforgettable, interactive adventure" unparalleled in the city. The current play area, installed in 2002 near Target and Ice Skate USA, will close when Frolic's Castle opens.

The new castle was designed by PlayTime, which has created play areas at the Galleria, Katy Mills, West Oaks mall and retail shopping areas worldwide. The handmade play equipment was constructed at the company's headquarters in Englewood, Colo. The play elements are made with certified bacteria- and fungal-resistant material.

"To give this much retail space for a free amenity for customers is unbelievable," said David O'Niones, PlayTime's vice president of retail. "Play areas have changed the landscape of shopping in the last 15 years. Malls and shopping centers have become destinations. A play area like this becomes the focal point of a community. It's so stimulating and almost overwhelming. The kids will be spoiled."

At the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., which attracts more than 40 million visitors annually, a roller coaster is among the many draws. Grapevine Mills near Dallas boasts a Legoland. And in Atlanta, the Atlantic Station mall features the permanent home for "Bodies: The Exhibition" and often hosts Cirque de Soleil.

Frolic's Castle is designed for children under 48 inches tall and will be fully ADA accessible. Parents will be required to accompany their children into the play area, which can accommodate up to 165 at a time. Features include knight and princess cutouts for photo opps, a catapult slide that leads to the magic Frog Prince, an enchanted forest tree with a secret tunnel, a drawbridge and interactive sounds, including a snoring giant, a bubbling cauldron and a grunting ogre.

A spokesman for the New York-based International Council of Shopping Centers, which counts 67,000 members in 100 countries, said shopping malls and centers aren't just about shopping.

"They are no longer about a distribution channel for goods," Jesse Tron said. "They have to be a consumer destination, whether it's expanding or adding amenities. It's a trend in the retail environment from dining to entertainment. It's almost like a service."

Ninety-five percent of the shopping in the United States is still done in stores, not online, Tron said.

"There is an inherent social aspect to shopping that people want to do with their friends and family. Online shopping in this country is not nearly as high as people would lead you to believe," he said.

"Consumers have less time than they ever had and are willing to do different things in a single trip to the mall."

The Houston native covers fashion, beauty and fitness, as well as other lifestyle topics. Joy has interviewed countless fashion designers and celebrities, including Houston's own Beyonce, the late Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch and more. She also writes regularly about children's books and is the author of "Ava and the Prince: The Adventures of Two Rescue Pups" (October 2018, LongTale).

A former competitive ice skater and professional coach, Joy started #YearOfJoy Project to spread joy to area children. She has reached nearly 500 children with her holiday skating party at the ICE at Discovery Green and other events. In 2017, Joy was honored with the Houston Humanitarian award for her community involvement.